About the project
The project "Legal regulation in an era of deglobalization: socio-legal perspectives on technology, migration, democracy, and war" (DEGLOBAL) brings together Nordic and international socio-legal researchers who are working on legal regulation and research on regulatory developments within the fields of technology, migration and immigration, as well as punishment, war, human rights, and democracy.
The project understands deglobalization as a movement towards more powerful isolationist nation-states and regional blocs; a move away from liberal internationalism; the decoupling of global supply chains and restrictions on trade; and a political focus on local solutions and diminishing interdependence in the world.
Core questions animating the project are:
- Does deglobalization represent just a new version of globalization or can deglobalization be understood as something more unique?
- How does deglobalization shape political uses of law, grassroots legal mobilization, national and transnational norm development, and legal outcomes?
- Which societal processes inform the development – and potential decline – of national and international legal regulation?
- How does legal regulation relate to societal cohesion – and what are the possible implications of a decline in the legitimacy of international regulation for individuals and communities?
- How has the rise of international law shaped the political and societal understanding of legal regulation, and how might this change in a time of deglobalization?
Activities and organisation
The project is headed by Professor Peter Scharff Smith and Professor Kristin Bergtora Sandvik and hosted by the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo. The project consists of both senior as well as younger researchers.
The project is structured around the Sociology of Law research group at the Faculty of Law, Oslo University, and consists of numerous activities that address the various themes outlined above in relation to the question of deglobalization. These activities include establishing or furthering research networks, financing research trips and initiating research collaborations.
There are six interrelated activity clusters
Cluster 1: Event funding A (seminars and workshops)
- "Legal regulation in an era of deglobalization": Research and networking seminar at Lunds University, between the two Nordic Sociology of Law departments in Oslo and Lund.
- "Rediscovering Africa's Voice in the Sociology of Law". Sociology of Law scholarship has a negligible contribution from African scholarship. This event attempts to rekindle/ignite Africa's interest in the discipline and create an opportunity for African scholars within the sociology of law to network with others from the continent and our research group here in Norway/Sweden.
- Seminar on "Refugee Rights as Human Rights". A discussion forum with Nordic scholars and Pakistani civil society representatives at UiO. Pakistan has had a prolonged presence of over 3 million Afghan refugees and is not a party to the International Refugee Convention 1951.
- Three workshops creating a forum for animal law and setting up three semi-annual workshops at UiO for animal law scholars, students and practitioners from across Norway on socio-legal questions relating to the legal regulation of animal welfare issues: Workshop 1 on "The Rule of Animal law vs. practice" with Dr. Birgitta Wahlberg; Workshop 2 on "The status of international animal law"; Workshop 3 on "Animal law on trial: Legal mobilization on behalf of animals".
Cluster 2: Event funding B (internal network meetings and seminars)
- "Legal mobilization and legal regulation", seminar at UiO with Professor Jules Lobel, Pittsburg. Jules Lobel is a leading international scholar and practitioner on legal mobilization and participatory litigation.
- "Sentiments on justice and legal regulation", workshop UiO. This meeting will follow up on the 2023 release of the report on sentiments on justice in Norway ("Rettsoppfatningen i Norge") commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. Based on the extensive data collection new publications will be planned and a new research application in the area will be formulated.
- "Human rights in an era of deglobalization", workshop UiO.
- "Legal pluralism and legal regulation", workshop UiO.
- 5 x Network meetings in addition to the above where network members make presentations based on the activities outlined in this proposal.
- 5 x Network meetings in addition to the above where network members develop projects and research grant proposals.
Cluster 3: Research visits to Norway
- Research stay at the University of Oslo for Dr. Hildur Fjola Antonsdottir from University of Iceland in connection with research collaboration on justice and human rights in relation to sexual violence.
- Knowledge exchange and visit of civil society representatives from Pakistan to UiO. A discussion forum between these representatives and UiO academics and policymakers aim at exploring a socio-legal nuance to the space of ‘regulation’, which to date, has been mostly driven by Pakistan’s geo-political and security concerns vis-à-vis Afghanistan.
Cluster 4: Participation at national and international workshops and conferences
- Research visit, talks, and participation in seminars at Amsterdam Law School for research on socio-legal approaches to international (migration) law, network-building in particular at 1) the Center for Law and Behavior (C-LAB) and at 2) the Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL).
- Research visit at Berkeley University and University of California Irvine in connection with prison visits and seminars on punishment, prison law and human rights (collaboration with Professor Keramet Reiter) as well as talks and participation in seminars at the Human Rights Center, Berkeley University.
- Research visit and conference participation at the Centre on Law & Social Transformation in Bergen.
- Research visit in Brussels by Doctoral Research Fellows Annichen Kongsvik Sæteren and Martine S.B. Lie. During the stay they will follow the NGO Eurogroup for Animals to see how they work to advocate for the introduction of animal welfare regulations in the European Union, and meet with the European Commission working on animal welfare matters.
- Participation for network scholars at the Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association as part of gaining constructive feedback on network projects and exchange ideas with relevant scholars outside of Scandinavia. The Law and Society Association’s annual meeting provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect with and present papers for socio-legal scholars from all over the globe.
Cluster 5: Stays abroad for research fellows (PhD)
- A 3-month research stay at the African Studies Center, University of Oxford, to engage with the South Africa Discussion Group; discuss Ph.D. project and fieldwork with South Africanist Professor Rebekah Lee; establish and deepen contacts with other socio-legal researchers at the University of Oxford's Center for Socio-legal Studies.
- A total of 4-week research stay with networking seminars at two African Universities; the Center for Law and Society, University of Cape Town, South Africa, and the School of Law, University of Ghana.
- Research stay at the Institute for Migration & Ethnic studies, University of Amsterdam.
Cluster 6: Establishing national/international networks
- War and legal regulation: Establishing a network with likeminded scholars in Sweden.
- War and legal regulation: Establishing network with likeminded scholars in Denmark.
Objectives
With the DEGLOBAL project we seek to strengthen social-legal research on legal regulation, and to reinvigorate international research networks in the post-pandemic phase that contribute to scientific renewal and development.
Project period
The project will be active from 2023 to 2026.
Financing
The project is financed by The Research Council of Norway (Network Funding for Research Groups Following the Evaluation of Legal Research in Norway). Project number: 341945.